Tips and Tricks for Handling Reference Standards

Reference standards must perform at a consistent level each and every time you use them. Variations in analyte concentration can disrupt analyses, impede your lab’s workflow, and lead to wasted time and money. Restek’s Certificates of Analysis offer comprehensive information to help you understand the composition, proper storage conditions, and method of shipment for your reference standard.

In this presentation, we’ll explain the terms given on the certificate, discuss when you might need to apply uncertainty values, and clarify why we provide them. We’ll also explore how to safely store and properly prepare your reference standards for use along with what else you need to keep in mind to ensure the long-term integrity of your standards.

Presenter: Jaap de Zeeuw (Gas Chromatography Specialist, Restek)

Jaap is a world-renowned chromatographer with over 40 years of experience, including 27 years with Varian/Chrompack focusing on industrial analysis challenges. For his 1979 graduation from The Institute for Higher Education, specialized in chemistry, Jaap authored a paper titled "The Challenge of Coating Flexible Fused Silica Capillary Columns" and has since distinguished himself as an authority on the subject. Directly involved with the creation of numerous chemically bonded columns, including the first bonded PEG column and the stabilized PLOT columns widely used in the petrochemical arena, Restek’s international GC specialist has helped develop new techniques, such as fast GC-MS using vacuum GC technology, and has filed two patents for his work. Based out of the Netherlands, Jaap celebrates 10 years with Restek. Jaap is extensively published and regularly travels internationally to share his knowledge.